— Year-End Charts —
The Best-Selling Albums and Songs of 2021
A country record nobody in the industry was promoting finished No. 1 — Wallen’s first year-end win, mid-controversy.
Artists of the Year
Top ArtistDrakeCombined albums + singles performance
Top Albums ArtistTaylor Swift
Top Singles ArtistOlivia Rodrigo
Top 10 Albums of 2021 Billboard 200
- 1Dangerous: The Double AlbumMorgan Wallen
- 2SourOlivia Rodrigo
- 3Shoot for the Stars, Aim for the MoonPop Smoke
- 4EvermoreTaylor Swift
- 5Certified Lover BoyDrake
- 6F*ck LoveThe Kid Laroi
- 7What You See Is What You GetLuke Combs
- 8PositionsAriana Grande
- 9Future NostalgiaDua Lipa
- 10My TurnLil Baby
Top 10 Songs of 2021 Hot 100
- 1LevitatingDua Lipa
- 2Save Your TearsThe Weeknd and Ariana Grande
- 3Blinding LightsThe Weeknd
- 4Mood24kGoldn ft. Iann Dior
- 5Good 4 UOlivia Rodrigo
- 6Kiss Me MoreDoja Cat ft. SZA
- 7Leave the Door OpenSilk Sonic
- 8Drivers LicenseOlivia Rodrigo
- 9Montero (Call Me by Your Name)Lil Nas X
- 10PeachesJustin Bieber ft. Daniel Caesar and Giveon
What the 2021 Charts Show
- The year split: Taylor Swift led on albums while Olivia Rodrigo led on singles.
- 3 albums held their top-10 places from 2020: Shoot for the Stars, Aim for the Moon, What You See Is What You Get and My Turn — the streaming era’s long tail at work.
How the 2021 charts were compiled
Every position here is a chart placement — measured sales, radio airplay and streaming across Billboard’s tracking year — not an editorial ranking. Albums come from the year-end Billboard 200, songs from the year-end Hot 100.
Billboard’s tracking year runs from roughly late October to mid-October rather than January to December, which is why a late-autumn release can win the following year and why a song can appear on two consecutive year-end lists.
Liner Notes
The stories behind the music, every week.
The Authority Daily newsletter: the features, interviews, and business moves shaping music and culture — the ones worth your inbox. Free. No spam, ever.
FREE · ONE EMAIL A WEEK · UNSUBSCRIBE ANYTIME